As per the new roadmap of Indian football announced this month, the Hero Super Cup is making a comeback after four years and the 2023 edition is set to be hosted in Kerala. FC Goa emerged champions in the previous edition in 2019, beating Chennaiyin FC 2-1 in the final at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar. The inaugural tournament in 2018 was won by Bengaluru FC, who beat East Bengal 4-1 in the final. The competition will feature 16 teams from the group stages taking place from April 8 – 25, 2023. The qualifying round will kick off on April 3.
All 11 teams from the Hero Indian Super League and the champions of the 2022-23 Hero I-League will get direct entry into the Group Stage of the Hero Super Cup. The remaining teams placed from 2nd to 10th in the Hero I-League table will be involved in the qualifiers for the four remaining Group stage spots of the competition. In Qualifier 1, Hero I-League teams placed 9th and 10th will face each other with the winner facing the 2nd placed side in the league in Qualifier 2. In this round, all teams from 3rd to 8th will face each other in a knockout format.
Check here 2023 Hero Santosh Trophy Final Round draw
The Group Stage of the Hero Super Cup will begin from April 8 – 19 2023 with the Semi-finals on April 21 and 22, 2023. The Super Cup Final will take place on April 25. The winners of the Hero Super Cup will play 2021-2022 Hero I-League champions Gokulam Kerala FC for a place in the 2023-24 AFC Cup group stage. If Gokulam Kerala wins the 2022-23 Hero Super Cup, they get automatic qualification to the 2023-24 AFC Cup Group Stage.
Fixtures
Qualifier 1
April 3: HIL Team 9 vs HIL Team 10
Qualifier 2
April 5: HIL Team 2 vs HIL Team 9/10
April 5: HIL Team 3 vs HIL Team 8
April 6: HIL Team 4 vs HIL Team 7
April 6: HIL Team 5 vs HIL Team 6
Also Read | List of Domestic Football Tournaments in India
